This article was co-authored by Jonathan Soormaghen and by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD. Jonathan Soormaghen is a Career Coach and Founder of Resume Advisor, a career counseling firm that specializes in creating personalized products such as resumes, CVs, cover letters, and online branding tools to propel clients toward their next career milestone. Jonathan holds a BA in Political Economy from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was honored to serve as the Valedictory speaker of general commencement. Prior to founding Resume Advisor, he worked in management consulting and finance at companies including Accenture, Target, and Ernst & Young. Jonathan's clients have landed job offers from leading firms including Netflix, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Uber, Deloitte, KMPG, Accenture, and Merrill Lynch.
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You've been offered the job of your dreams. There's just one problem: the pay. Don't let a low starting salary get in your way! Many employers' initial offer is lower than what they're willing to pay, so you can absolutely negotiate a higher starting salary—you just need to be confident that you're worth it. We've pulled together lots of tips to help you negotiate your ideal compensation package, from the initial offer to your counter-offer to the employer's response.
Steps
Sample Negotiation Scripts
Expert Q&A
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QuestionShould you ask for a higher starting salary directly?Jonathan SoormaghenJonathan Soormaghen is a Career Coach and Founder of Resume Advisor, a career counseling firm that specializes in creating personalized products such as resumes, CVs, cover letters, and online branding tools to propel clients toward their next career milestone. Jonathan holds a BA in Political Economy from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was honored to serve as the Valedictory speaker of general commencement. Prior to founding Resume Advisor, he worked in management consulting and finance at companies including Accenture, Target, and Ernst & Young. Jonathan's clients have landed job offers from leading firms including Netflix, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Uber, Deloitte, KMPG, Accenture, and Merrill Lynch.
Career CoachI would suggest stating the salary you were at before, and implying that you're seeking some advancement from what you were doing before. For example, you could say that in your previous role, you were making $75,000 a year and that you are hoping to see a 10% to 12% increase in your next role. That way you avoid stating an exact number, which can come off as aggressive to potential employers. -
QuestionHow can I ask politely about a higher salary?wikiHow Staff EditorThis answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Staff AnswerwikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerStart by telling them how excited you are to work for the company and how much you appreciate the offer. Then, explain that you were expecting more. Give them a precise number and back it up with research about the average starting salary for the position and things in your background that give you more value as an employee. -
QuestionHow to I ask for a salary raise in the same company?Community AnswerDo your research on what you should be paid and approach your boss at a good time. Talk about your accomplishments and ask for a fair raise.
Warnings
- Always get the employer's final offer in writing before you agree to it—especially if it differs from the initial offer they made.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Resist the temptation to try to negotiate every little thing or argue for the sake of arguing. Even if you get what you asked for, it can come back to bite you later.[21]⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Never immediately accept a salary offer, even if you already know it's in a range you would accept. You should still take time to think about it critically and make sure the job and the company are good fits for you.[22]⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Never be the first one to bring up salary. Always let the employer make the first offer. Then, you have the opportunity to counter.[23]⧼thumbs_response⧽
References
- ↑ https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2020/10/22/five-steps-take-when-negotiating-pay-and-benefits-new-job-opinion
- ↑ https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2020/10/22/five-steps-take-when-negotiating-pay-and-benefits-new-job-opinion
- ↑ Jonathan Soormaghen. Career Coach. Expert Interview. 7 October 2020.
- ↑ https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2020/10/22/five-steps-take-when-negotiating-pay-and-benefits-new-job-opinion
- ↑ https://gradschool.missouri.edu/professional_development/salary-benefit-negotiation/
- ↑ https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/region_rankings_current.jsp?region=021
- ↑ https://gradschool.missouri.edu/professional_development/salary-benefit-negotiation/
- ↑ https://hbr.org/2014/04/15-rules-for-negotiating-a-job-offer
- ↑ Jonathan Soormaghen. Career Coach. Expert Interview. 7 October 2020.
- ↑ Jonathan Soormaghen. Career Coach. Expert Interview. 7 October 2020.
- ↑ https://gradschool.missouri.edu/professional_development/salary-benefit-negotiation/
- ↑ https://hbr.org/2014/04/15-rules-for-negotiating-a-job-offer
- ↑ https://gradschool.missouri.edu/professional_development/salary-benefit-negotiation/
- ↑ https://hbr.org/2014/04/15-rules-for-negotiating-a-job-offer
- ↑ Jonathan Soormaghen. Career Coach. Expert Interview. 7 October 2020.
- ↑ https://gradschool.missouri.edu/professional_development/salary-benefit-negotiation/
- ↑ https://hbr.org/2014/04/15-rules-for-negotiating-a-job-offer
- ↑ https://hbr.org/2014/04/15-rules-for-negotiating-a-job-offer
- ↑ https://gradschool.missouri.edu/professional_development/salary-benefit-negotiation/
- ↑ https://www.fastcompany.com/40588267/heres-how-to-negotiate-your-salary-over-email
- ↑ https://hbr.org/2014/04/15-rules-for-negotiating-a-job-offer
- ↑ https://gradschool.missouri.edu/professional_development/salary-benefit-negotiation/
- ↑ https://gradschool.missouri.edu/professional_development/salary-benefit-negotiation/